Entertainment

“And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by Eric Bogle – a new interpretation

By Frank McGrath 25/12/2020 Arts, Light, Video

Written by Scottish-born folk singer Eric Bogle, the song describes the futility and horror of war through the personal experiences of the song’s character. In stripping away melody the words alone are left to convey the bleak vistas and raw emotion of the story.

‘WHY WE BUILD THE WALL’ by Anaïs Mitchell

By Frank McGrath 17/03/2020 Arts, Entertainment, Light, Magazine, World

Recently there has been a worrying growth in active and headline-grabbing intolerance towards asylum seekers. Pressure groups are increasing efforts to build social and political walls around our communities and country. Globalisation has reduced continents to parishes and a worldwide bout of parochialism has taken hold.

BROKEN DEMOCRACY

Our democracy is broken and it’s time we did something about it. Self-governing republican freedom is shared among equal citizens, and so is the responsibility for maintaining it. That requires active participation from us all, individually and collectively, taking responsibility for the state we’re in. 10-minute read.
UNQUIET REVOLUTIONARIES

In 1983, a two-to-one majority voted for the Eighth Amendment, banning abortion for all time and the Supreme Court ruled that laws criminalising homosexuality supported the ‘Christian nature of the Irish State’. But by 2018, we had legalised same-sex marriage and repealed the Eighth. What happened? 12-minute read.
IS THE LEAVING CERT FIT FOR PURPOSE?

Two recent studies asked students whether the skills taught in their Leaving Cert courses prepared them for third-level study. An overwhelming majority said 'No', that they had not learned the intellectual skills they would need to succeed. 8 minute read.
THE ESSENCE OF HUMANITY

Drunken, brawling, criminal, lazy, as thick as two short planks nailed together, and not wanted over here—that’s what ‘everybody knew’ about the average Mick when I was growing up in England. Creating a racist stereotype doesn’t need any basis in fact, just an ugly image repeated often enough. (10 minute read.)
“And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by Eric Bogle – a new interpretation

Written by Scottish-born folk singer Eric Bogle, the song describes the futility and horror of war through the personal experiences of the song's character. In stripping away melody the words alone are left to convey the bleak vistas and raw emotion of the story.
Welcome to Ballymun

Upwards of 17,000 people moved into the Ballymun flats in one go. The bus arrived late as did the shopping centre with its one supermarket and two pubs. The promised health centre, swimming pool, library, meeting rooms, community halls, and gym didn’t happen. Anyone spot a problem?
Misinformation, disinformation, and plain ole lies

Social media algorithms created separate information tunnels leading to echo-chambers fed not with information but with affirmation of what their readers had already liked. Each tunnel built up its own ‘truths’: anything that offered a different perspective had been sent down a different tunnel.
How We Can Build a Sustainable Future

Eco-villages have become more and more popular over the years as people become more conscious of the looming climate crisis. Owen Connolly asks Davie Philips of Cloughjordan exactly what is an eco-village and what is different about living in one?

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